The Lost Pack
by Apple Syder
Summary: One Shot. It's been a year since they were separated, and it's high time Rhydian keep his promise. He said he would find her, that they would find each other, and now he's traveled half way around the world to do just that. He'll find her. And, hopefully, she'll be waiting to find him, too. Rhydian/Maddy
Got into CBBC Wolfblood lately. Just needed some closure for myself concerning Rhydian and Maddy, so I, ya know, made my own closure.

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The Lost Pack

The rocks at the bottom of the glacier were loose and rounded after years of wear from snowmelt. Rhydian trudged across them, not bothering to watch his step but sure of his footing nevertheless. He was always sure of his footing. Never in his life had he tripped or stumbled due to inattention or klutziness. Just one of the many perks of being a wolfblood.

A quick glance behind him and he could see the steep slope he had been climbing. Shale and gravel were put out of place where he had stepped, and further down there were footprints in patches of snow. He'd been climbing for almost half an hour, following Maddy's scent. He had chuckled to himself as he'd become nearly short of breath on the trek. Of course Maddy had taken the hard way up. She couldn't have just gone around, could she?

Though he had to admit, the view from this side of the mountain was stunning. He'd only been in the country two days, but he seriously doubted he'd ever get used to these monstrously huge mountains. He'd been all over England and Wales but he'd never seen mountains and forest like this. Not even when he used to run with the wild wolfblood pack. Nothing he had ever seen was close to this. He wished he could show his mum and dad, Jana and the others in her pack. They would have loved to run free here, miles away from any humans, with plenty of rabbits and other game to chase and eat. He didn't know why all wolfbloods hadn't moved to Canada already. Well, other than they hated humans and planes and water and would never be able to get a passport. And they were stubborn about keeping their territory. Rhydian himself had been antsy in all the airports and lines and security he had to get through to come here. He didn't mind people, but being so surrounded made him nervous. Creatures like him weren't meant for cramped airports and big cities. On the bus ride from the airport he had been relieved to see that the little town where the Smiths had moved to was in a forested, mountainous area.

He hadn't told them he was coming. Victoria had said she'd call and give them a heads up, but Rhydian had stopped her. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he had. Partly, he thought the surprise on Maddy's face would be priceless. Partly, it might have been that deep down he felt that if too many people knew he was coming someone would try to stop him. It had happened before. He wouldn't be stopped, not this time.

So he had taken a car to the airport in London, flown nine hours to Maine, caught another plane into Canada, got on a bus, connected to another bus, reached the tiny town the Smiths now called home, stopped at the local diner to get pointed in the right direction, where a very nice old guy with a truck said he'd take him to the bottom of the mountain, at which point he had begun the five mile walk on the steep road to the Smith's house. He was learning these Canadians were very nice people. The waitress at the diner had called him sugar and asked about his accent, and he explained that he was a new foreign exchange student. She had offered him some pie as the old man went to get his truck but he had declined. He had no appetite. He couldn't even think about food now. His excitement was mounting the closer he got to Maddy. Walking through the town he could have sworn he could smell her, but he had probably just imagined it.

He had been a hundred yards off from their house when he really did pick up a scent. He had turned off the main road, breaking into a run down a dirt path through the trees. A newish looking jeep had sat at the end of the path, just on the other side of a short wooden fence. Of course. Daniel, Maddy's dad, loved jeeps. Rhydian had stopped at the edge of the fence and looked at the house, breathing heavy, his mind racing with excitement. The house looked decently new. The weather was nice, although much more brisk on the mountain than it had been in town. Still, it had allowed for the blooming flowers in the flowerbed that Emma, Maddy's mum, had probably planted. There were curtains in the windows, pulled open to let in what little sun they got down here in the shadow of the trees. Rhydian's powerful ears had heard the sounds of Daniel's electric sander coming from a small workshop at the back of the house. Mostly, though, he could smell Maddy. Her scent mixed with that of her parents all around the yard and near the jeep. It was so familiar to him. He could almost see the scent of her, trailing to the front door, lingering near a bench in one part of the yard, clinging to the railing of the fence.

When he had stood there at the fence, breathing her in, he had felt himself simultaneously relax and tense up. He had been relieved—she was alive, she was real, she was here. At the same time he had felt his muscles clench, like he was ready for a run or a fight. Any second he would see her, and he hadn't been entirely sure what would happen when he did.

He had unlatched the short gate and entered the yard, striding across the stone path and straight to the front door. He hadn't hesitated, but his knuckles had only rapped the wood once when the door had been flung open. Emma had stood there, staring at him with her wide eyes. Rhydian had recovered from his surprise, feeling slightly less sure of himself in Emma's intimidating presence. He was more than a foot taller than her, but that hadn't stopped him from clearing his throat and saying politely, "Hello, Mrs. Smith. Um, surprise?"

"Rhydian. What are you doing here?" She had demanded.

He had felt his shoulders creeping up to his ears, the way they had done every time he had been faced by adults as a foster kid. He had thought he was over that, that he was a leader, an alpha now, but apparently he was still partly a kid. He had adjusted the grip on his backpack and given her a sheepish smile. "Ah, well, um, it's sort of a long story. But, well, I just happened to find myself…here…so, um—" He had been saved from trying to justify his trip half way around the world to see her daughter when she had suddenly stepped forward and hugged him. He had hugged her back, tightly.

She had pulled away, smiling up at him, and told him to come in. "Put your things down, make yourself at home. I'll just be a moment." Then she had hurried out the back door.

Rhydian had slipped his bag off his shoulder and carefully set it on the floor. If the smells had been strong outside, they were incredibly pungent inside. The home was decorated in a cozy sort of way, with big chairs and lots of pillows. All the cupboards and the table were made of a dark wood, probably to match the feel of living in the mountains. The chairs and couch were circled around the large fireplace, which must have been just for show, since wolfbloods hated fire. There had been no family pictures on the walls, and Rhydian knew that everything else in the house was brand new. All of their things the Smiths had left behind in England. They hadn't been able to take anything with them when they'd had to disappear.

Well, little did they know that in Rhydian's bag was one of their old family albums, a blanket from Emma's grandmother, Daniel's favorite mug, and a small journal filled with notes his friends and some of his classmates had written to Maddy. Shannon had put it together, and had taken up nearly three pages herself and added a bunch of photos. Tom's page alternated between good wishes and reminiscing old inside jokes. Jana, in her clumsy handwriting and bad spelling, had written a solid paragraph. Several others had scrawled something together—even the K's had said something decent. He wished he could have brought more, that he could have carried the Smiths beloved 300 year old house with him across the Atlantic, but he hoped this would be enough.

While Emma was gone, hopefully to find Maddy, Rhydian had wandered to a gathering of photographs on the wall. Some were in color, some were in black and white, but all were scenes of the forest, of the mountains, of an icy blue lake. He'd had no doubt they were all taken by Maddy. So, she still liked photography. That made him happy. He was drawn to a black and white picture of an almost full moon, peaking behind a cloud, over a pine tree forest. Next to it was a frame that held only a white sheet of paper and a poem, a blue ribbon hanging off one corner. _The Lone Wolf_ , it was titled. Rhydian only had to read the first few lines to know it was about him. It was a sad poem, but it made his chest feel full. He had spent sleepless hours on the plane, suddenly second guessing himself, wondering if Maddy would be glad to see him or if she was over him. They'd had zero contact for a year, after all. But maybe this proved she still missed him as much as he missed her. He smiled and shook his head at the framed poem. He'd have to tease her about that later.

Emma had burst through the back door then and held it open for Daniel. Daniel, slightly out of breath, stopped when he saw Rhydian before spreading his long arms in welcome. "Rhydian!"

"Hello, Mr. Smith," Rhydian had returned his grin and clapped him on the back when Daniel had hugged him.

Emma and Daniel looked the same. Well, perhaps not completely. Emma didn't look as tense and Daniel's hair might have been a little more gray, but otherwise it looked as though Canada had done them good. Absently, Rhydian had thought to himself that it was good to hear familiar accents again, too.

"Well, so, then," Daniel had said, looking at Rhydian as though he might not be real. "You're here. Good. Right then."

"Dear," Emma had said, "Where's Maddy?"

Maddy. Just her name made all of Rhydian's senses perk up.

"Right, oh, yes, right, Maddy!" Daniel had wandered back outside and Emma and Rhydian had followed. "Right, then, where's Maddy? I believe she went…" He had scanned the yard and then pointed into the trees. "That way. For a quick run after school. She does that. And, well, here there's no harm in it! Emma says to be careful, but really, there's no one out here, so…"

Daniel had trailed off since Rhydian had already crossed the back yard. He could smell Maddy, the freshest scent leading through the trees. Without looking back he had hopped the fence and started off. Emma and Daniel watched him disappear quietly.

Daniel had run a hand through his curly hair and rubbed his beard. "Well, Rhydian's back, then."

Emma had laughed slightly, a hand over her heart. "Yes, he is."

Then they had stood, smiling, until Emma said she should start dinner, with extra meat, and Daniel had laughed and said, "Good idea. You know how he is."

Rhydian had climbed through the trees in painful anticipation. Maddy's scent had been easy to pick out among the smells of pine and damp dirt. There hadn't been a breeze, so her scent just sat on the earth, bright and easy to follow as if he were following a yellow brick road that would lead him right to her. The higher he'd climbed the less trees there had been until eventually he had emerged from the last of them. All that had been before him then was rock and mountain, capped in snow and gleaming in the afternoon sun.

He had been running most of the way, half expecting Maddy to be hiding behind some tree and to jump out at him. But she hadn't, and now here he was, climbing up the shale and rock, only feet away from the bottom of the glacier.

And he was losing her scent.

He'd come this far, across the ocean, across half a continent, up a mountain, and now, when he was so close, he was losing her scent.

He stopped at the line where rock became ice and snow and inhaled deeply, trying to pick up where she had gone. He had begun to panic a few minutes ago when the trail began to fade and now he had completely lost it. He looked side to side, wondering which way she might have gone. There were no footprints in the snow, girl or wolf, and he wasn't a good enough tracker to see remnants of footprints in the rocks. He wished he'd paid more attention when traveling with the wild wolfblood pack. Jana would probably laugh at him now. Shannon could have figured something out. But Rhydian was by himself and out of ideas. He paced along the edge of the glacier for a minute, sniffing the air, his frustration growing. He felt the howl begin in his chest before he heard himself doing it. It was inhuman, coming from him. Anyone would have been shocked to find a boy and not an animal as the source for such a howl. In the sanctuary of the mountain he let it ascend into the sky, a long and desperate cry. He ran out of breath and the call ended. The sound had barely died when a reply made him whip around.

The returning howl traveled across the mountain side, clear and beautiful. The familiar sound echoed in his ears, causing goose bumps to stand up on his arms and neck as his heart hitched in his chest.

"Maddy," he said breathlessly.

His feet reacted quicker than he could even think what he was doing. He ran along the mountain, sliding across the loose rock. Still, he was going too slow. His heart was already pounding a million miles an hour, pumping hot blood through his veins, so it wasn't hard to release his hold on the wolf. He let it go, feeling his body shift and move, and half way through a step he had gone from boy to beast. Handling the rock was much easier with the nimble, padded paws of his wolf self. He turned his sharp eyes and ears towards the source of the howl and without hesitation he set off across the icy glacier.

Cold wind rushed through his blonde fur and snow kicked up from his paws and left a small cloud of white behind him. He ignored all of it, feeling only the pounding of his heart and the vibrations in his legs as they connected with the earth, propelling him closer and closer to the peak of the mountain. He only slowed for half a second when he saw a movement ahead of him. Over the mountain ridge, running at break neck speed, Maddy came flying through the snow. He knew it was her immediately. He'd recognize that wolf anywhere.

They were on a collision course and Maddy slowed down only enough so that she wouldn't completely slam into him. Rhydian didn't slow at all. In seconds they collided, and then it was all snouts and bumping heads and fur and smell. Gosh, her smell. All earth and nature and Maddy. Their nuzzling calmed and he found himself looking into her face—deep yellow eyes framed by her soft, dark brown fur. She held his gaze for a few moments before slamming into his side hard enough to knock him over in the snow. He looked up at her, stunned, but she just licked the side of his face, all the way from nose to cheek. If he could have laughed he would have, but as it was he could only let a joyful bark escape from his chest. Maddy barked back, her tongue hanging out of her mouth as she panted excitedly. He got back on all fours, which was made slightly more difficult but infinitely more enjoyable by Maddy nuzzling her snout into his neck and chest.

Rhydian shook his fur out, little pieces of sparkling snow flying out around him. Maddy had stepped away but she looked over her shoulder at him, as if beckoning him to follow. He trotted to catch up and they walked along the mountain, bumping shoulders now and then. When Maddy broke into a run Rhydian did, too. It was almost simultaneous. Maddy ran a step ahead of him, leading the way, but he stuck close at her right shoulder. They ran across the mountain, dodging boulders and leaping across ravines in synch. This was what it was like to run with a pack; it was being one with the flow of the earth, like the wind and the dirt and the wolf were all the same thing. He had run with wolves recently, with Victoria and Jana and his mum. But running with Maddy was different. Despite the fact it was in a terrain he had never seen or smelled before, it felt more like home than anything had in the past year.

They descended the mountain enough that the snow was disappearing behind them and rock and dirt were beneath their paws again. Larger boulders emerged from the ground and the two separated, weaving in and out of them. After a minute Rhydian realized he had lost sight of her. He paused on top of a high rock, all his senses alert for any sound, any movement of where she might have gone. He spotted her at the edge of a small cliff. His claws clacked against the stone as he sprung from it, headed towards her. By the time he reached the edge she was gone. He looked down the short but steep slope that led to flatter ground below. Just beyond that the tree line started again. His ears perked up at the sound of a painfully familiar laugh. He turned to see Maddy below, not Maddy the wolf but Maddy the girl. She grinned up at him. He looked at the slope again, seeing where she had slid down, but decided _To heck with that_. Backing up enough for a running start he leapt off the edge. The jump was nothing he couldn't handle, with his powerful legs and pinpoint accurate agility. Again, he felt his blood pump and push and body change, and when he landed at the bottom of the slope it wasn't on four feet, but two.

He straightened, pulling at his jacket, and turned to where Maddy was standing.

She looked the same. And different. Her face was the face that had haunted his dreams for months—the same sharp nose and bright smile, the same piercing, dark eyes. Her straight brown hair was longer, and she might have been a little taller. She was in a maroon sweater and a dark jacket, with torn jeans tucked into her muddy boots. She wasn't in any make-up, and a pair of golden studs in her ears was the only sign of any kind of girlish nature. She looked the way he always remembered her looking: half wild, half tame.

She was grinning wide at him. He grinned back.

They both jogged forward, meeting in the middle. Rhydian caught her up in his arms, lifting her off the ground and burying his face in her neck and hair. Maddy wrapped her arms so tightly around his neck it might have killed him if he was any less of a wolfblood. He eased her back to the ground without loosening his hold on her. They stayed like that for several minutes, clinging tightly to each other in the shadow of the mountain.

Finally, Maddy said quietly, her breath tickling his neck, "I missed you."

Rhydian smiled into her hair. "I missed you, too, Mads."

She loosened her grip and he followed suit, pulling back to look down at her. She avoided his gaze for a second, trying to wipe at her eye discreetly. The action struck him and he felt his own eyes and nose start to burn. So then it was him avoiding eye contact, pretending it was the run that made him need to clear his throat several times.

Their arms were still around each other and Maddy smacked his shoulder playfully. "Well, took you long enough to find me, didn't it?"

It was entirely possible Rhydian's face would be stuck like this forever—he couldn't seem to stop smiling. "Figured I'd take my time, do some sightseeing on the way. Wasn't in any hurry."

She rolled her eyes, still smiling. "Well, this does ruin all my plans, though. No more running away to England after graduation! That'll make my mam happy, at least. She was never keen on the idea."

"Run away to England? What would you do that for?" He teased, wanting to make her say it.

She wasn't so easy. "Well, see, there's this guy I left behind, Jimi, and I promised we'd find each other again in the future."

Rhydian made a face. "Uh, no! Not Jimi."

She threw her head back and laughed. Rhydian watched her, his arms still tight around her, hardly believing this wasn't a dream.

"Come on," Maddy said, breaking out of his grasp and catching his hand, "Mam and dad will be so surprised to see you."

He didn't bother telling her he had already been to the house and seen them, he just let her lead him back into the trees by the hand.

"So how did you get here?" Maddy asked as they walked. "How is everyone? Are Tom and Shannon all right? How's Stoneybridge?"

Rhydian inhaled and exhaled deeply. "I have so much to tell you. So much has happened." _I found my dad, Maddy. I almost joined a secret organization of corporate wolfbloods. Mr. Jeffries knows our secret. A month ago I almost lost the ability to wolf out completely._ There was so much to say, but he supposed he should start with the most important things: "Shannon and Tom are together now."

He watched her face carefully for a reaction and wasn't disappointed. She turned to stare at him, her mouth open slightly. He chuckled as he saw her visibly try to digest the information.

"What?" She said. "As in together together?"

He nodded. "Yep. They kiss and hold hands and everything."

She let out a surprised scoff of laughter. Letting go of his hand she rubbed her forehead and wandered a few steps away from him. She peeked back at him and he nodded again.

"Shannon and Tom! I can't believe it!" She paced ahead of him excitedly and he followed after, just laughing. "That's so _weird_ that's, that's…perfect. My gosh, Shannon and Tom…Oh, I _wish_ I could have been there! Do you still have Shannon's number? Maybe we can call her on your phone. Shannon and Tom, _kissing_!"

They meandered down the mountain through the trees, taking their time. Maddy asked him hundreds of questions and he answered them all the best he could. He told her he'd tell her everything in great detail over dinner since her parents would want to hear, too. After a while he let her take over the conversation and he just listened. She seemed to be going a million miles an hour, talking about her new school, going on about evergreens and mountain lakes, raving about full moons out in the forest, describing the Canadian winters, and trying to depict some of the interesting friends she had made. All the while she talked she was constantly moving. She broke a branch off a tree here, wandered across his path and kicked a stone there, pointed to a fir, jumped off a log, walked backwards in front of him and gestured animatedly with her hands. It was all familiar behavior to him—she never could sit still when she was excited. Not to mention the full moon had been this past weekend, and that made any wolfblood antsy. Rhydian was filled with just as much energy. To keep himself from running in circles, howling at the sky, holding her hand and stroking her hair, he kept his hands in his pockets. He trailed after her, smiling like a fool and saying little things to make her roll her eyes or laugh.

It was as easy for them to talk as ever. It was almost as if they hadn't been separated for a year, that she hadn't been forced to leave home, and that he hadn't been kept from finding her sooner. Loads had happened to him, and he assumed to her as well, but his fears of them being too different now were immediately swept away. She was the same Maddy that had created a home for him all those years ago when he was completely alone in the world.

"She's pretty awful, wait until you meet her. She actually makes me _miss_ the K's. There's the house, you smell that?" Maddy paused. "Smells like mam is cooking something good."

Rhydian sniffed the air, easily picking out the smell of cooking food wafting through the trees. They were very close now, maybe a dozen or two yards off from the back fence. His appetite was beginning to come back and he imagined sitting down to dinner with the Smith family again. The pack back together again. Well, sort of. The rest of them were back in England. His pack seemed to keep growing lately, and yet it looked like he'd never have them all in the same place at the same time. Still, it was better than no pack. He had lived most of his life packless, but now he never had to. Not with Maddy around.

Maddy's chattering had stopped and he turned to look at her. She was staring at him, a small smile on her face.

"What?" He said.

When she knew she was caught she looked away, scratching her nose in an attempt to hide her pink cheeks. "Um, sorry. Just…" Dropping her hands she fiddled with the zipper on her jacket, a smile on her face as she tried to look him in the eye. "I'm _really_ happy you're here." They looked at each other for a second until her embarrassment got the better of her and she sidestepped toward the house. "Um, yeah. So. Dinner?" She turned to escape but before she could take a step Rhydian caught her by the hand. She found herself pulled back to him, looking up into his intense blue eyes.

She didn't pull away, or even blink for that matter, and Rhydian didn't need any more permission than that to lean down and kiss her.

It was different than the last time. Their first kiss had been short and desperate, the only consolation of their sad goodbye. This wasn't a kiss marking the end—this was a kiss at the very beginning. This time there was no rush. There were no parents watching, no Shannon and Tom. Just the trees and the mountain and Maddy. She put her arms around his neck and he put his around her waist, holding her tighter and kissing her harder. If he had thought his senses had been powerful before, they were nothing compared to now. All of his senses flared up and he saw, heard, felt, tasted and breathed Maddy. He had never been so much the wolf while still being a man. It was strange, but wonderful.

When they pulled away they lingered close, breathing the same air and gently rubbing noses, reminiscent of only a little while ago, when they had been their wolf selves. He watched her face, soaking her in. Her eyes were closed and she smiled absently.

He asked quietly, "Do you still love me?"

Her eyes opened and she looked up at him, her brown eyes nearly flashing gold. "Yes." He smiled. "Do you still love me?" She asked.

"Oh, Maddy, Maddy," He chided softly, leaning his forehead against hers, "You should know by now that I'm completely wild about you."

She smiled, looking down shyly again. "Good." She took hold of his jacket with both hands, running her thumb along the open zipper. "How long are you staying?"

"Dunno. Though I suppose it'll be hard for Canada to get rid of me, considering I'm Canadian now and all."

"What?"

He grinned. "It's amazing what those people at Segolia can do."

"So…you're going to stay?"

"Only if I can stay with you."

She tugged on his jacket. "Rhydian Morris, you had better stay with me."

He was doing that thing again—that endlessly smiling thing. "Well, alright. I always listen to my alpha."

She tiptoed, pulling on his jacket to help her reach his lips again. He kissed her back, pushing her wind blown hair out of her face with his fingers and wondering if he'd ever get used to these crazy senses and if kissing was really just secretly wolfs bane.

A howl in the distance caused them to pull apart and listen. It was Emma, calling them home now that the sun was setting and dinner was ready.

Maddy tiptoed to kiss him one last, quick time, before jerking her head towards the house. "Come on."

They walked together, his arm around her shoulders, her arm around his waist. In a few minutes they would reach the house, where undoubtedly Daniel would be pacing excitedly in the kitchen and Emma would be telling him to sit down or set the table. They would probably burst through the door where Maddy would be disappointed about them already knowing Rhydian was there. They would talk for a bit, setting the table, before Maddy would remember her poem on the wall and immediately run to snatch it down. Rhydian would inform her he had already read it, Maddy would blame her mother for making her hang it up, to which Emma would reply it was Maddy's fault for writing it in the first place. Daniel would stop all the conversation by calling everyone to the table, where they would all sit together, for the first time in a long time and the first time of many times, and talk about the pack and Rhydian's parents and Shannon and Tom and where in the mountains they should go to run wild for the next full moon.

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La. The end.


End file.
